I don’t have a lot of cash to drop but I also don’t want junk. Is it really worth buying the BenQ HT2050 for $700 over the InFocus for $350? I lean toward quantity over quality, and would like a 300-inch screen. I am not sensitive to the DLP rainbow effect and I can’t tell the difference between 720p vs. 1080p on a 50-inch screen.

The BenQ HT2050 has one of the best contrast ratios in its class, more realistic color than the competition, and is brighter than some projectors that cost three times as much. For the price, it’s truly the best in this range.

A: Among the projectors you are looking at, the BenQ HT2050 is going to offer a significant upgrade over the other models. Not only is the color more accurate, but it is close to 70 percent brighter than the TH670 in their most accurate modes, and 15 to 20 percent brighter in their brightest modes. With the current price at $700, and offering the ability to produce a larger, brighter image that is more accurate, I would recommend the HT2050 among the projectors you mentioned.

But I need to say that though the idea of a 300-inch screen sounds great, there are a few reasons why going with a screen that large is often not a great idea. Bigger always seems better, but going bigger with a projector setup really takes a lot of money to do it at all, let alone do it the right way. Just getting a projector bright enough to adequately fill that space without washing out will blow your budget: I’ve reviewed a projector in the past that could manage a 200-inch screen fine—that projector was over $65,000.

Because you’re looking on a budget, I’ll assume that you have a large enough wall for a 300-inch screen and you’re going to paint it a flat white, because that is the only way to get a 300-inch screen affordably without seams (that much screen material alone would cost more than the projector). Unfortunately, painted walls aren’t that bright when reflecting a projector. With a projector, you want around 14 to 16 foot-lamberts in brightness, which is what a movie theater can do. With a 300-inch painted wall and the projectors you are looking at, the brightest you will be able to get is 3 foot lamberts. This is going to give you a dull, flat, boring image that will wash out with any stray light in the room.

Besides, going that big in such a small space will actually degrade your experience more than help it. The recommended viewing distance for a screen is usually in the 2½ to 3 times picture-height range. This puts you far enough away that you can take in the whole screen in your viewing area, but not so far away that you are seeing a smaller image. For a 300-inch screen, this means you’re sitting between 32 and 45 feet away from the screen. If you’re sitting a more likely 10 feet away from the screen, you won’t be able to see much of what is going on, and you’re likely going to see pixel structure from a 1080p image at that size. I have only a 92-inch screen in my room right now, but sitting only 9 feet away it feels larger than the 300-inch screen at the movie theater.

You’ll really be much happier with the results in the end if you choose a smaller-size screen that’s easier to install, and simply move the seats closer to the screen so it still fills your field of vision.

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